Blue Boxes and Bobble Hats
by Juliana Brandagamba
Summary: [COMPLETE] In which the 12th Doctor goes to visit his old friend Craig Owens (and of course Sophie and Stormageddon), and the Doctor discovers a new kind of hat.


**This story is based on an idea suggested by andbreathe, who wanted the Doctor to meet Craig again. (Who doesn't want the Doctor to meet Craig again?!) Anyway, I hope you enjoy it. Do let me know what you think!**

* * *

The last thing Craig Owens expected to see when he flung open his curtains that morning was a large blue box parked in the middle of the street that definitely hadn't been there before. It was one of those old-fashioned police-boxes – from the 1950s, he thought. He recognised it. But not because he remembered the 1950s – it awoke some other memory within him, a memory he couldn't quite place until, leaning forwards to have a closer look, he banged his head on the window; and as he retreated with a quiet oath he recalled the last time he had banged his forehead. Or rather, the time the Doctor had banged his forehead against his in an attempt to enlighten him as to his bizarre existence.

He looked out the window again. Somehow, a police telephone box had featured in the flood of memories that had come from that (rather unpleasant) exchange.

He remembered the Doctor saying something about his spaceship – did he call it a box? A blue box?

Had that police box really not been there the day before?

Sophie was already up, and so Craig pulled on his clothes and hurried downstairs. This wasn't usual for him – usually he had to force himself to get out of bed, open the curtains wearily and slouch downstairs. But today was a special day: his son's second birthday.

Alfie and Sophie were already at the dining-table when he came down, the former mashing up milky cereal with his spoon and with an almost ecstatic look of happiness on his face, the latter eating her own breakfast whilst keeping a close eye on the youngster.

'Morning, Craig,' Sophie said, her laughing eyes turning towards him.

'Morning, Soph.' Craig yawned and sat down. Just as he was about to pour himself some cereal there was a knock at the door.

'Who's that, this early?' asked Craig, furrowing his brow.

'The milkman's been,' replied Sophie, confused.

Craig therefore got up, picked up a cornflake to munch on for sustenance, and padded to the door. When he opened it he found a man he didn't know behind it: a man of perhaps fifty, with a sprawl of curly grey hair, and bright eyes that were slightly mischievous and possibly a little bit mad. Craig couldn't help but wonder if he knew those eyes, but he didn't think on it.

'Ah, Craig!' The man clasped his hand and shook it warmly, as if they were old friends.

'Er, do I know you?' asked Craig at last, extracting his hand from the man's vice-like grip – he shook hands as if he didn't know quite how to do it.

'Craig – it's me.' The man sighed. 'The Doctor... Oh, it's this stupid old face, isn't it?'

'The _Doctor_?'

'The Doctor, yes. Aren't you supposed to invite me in or something?'

'But I don't... the Doctor? But you don't look...'

'...as ugly as the last one?' the man said, smiling a little. 'One word: regeneration... Oh, am I going to have to do it again?'

And with that he reached forwards, and, before Craig could react, whacked his forehead into Craig's with a force that left Craig dizzy, both from the bump and from the sudden wave of images and concepts that sent him reeling.

'Oh!' cried Craig with sudden comprehension. 'You're him? You're the Doctor! With a different face! Oh, that makes sense!'

'Oh, good,' muttered the Doctor. 'Can I come in now?'

He stepped over the threshold and wiped his feet before going through to the dining-room, where he greeted a very bemused Sophie.

'He's the Doctor,' Craig said straight away, savouring the look of incredulous surprise on Sophie's face that he had a niggling feeling he had worn but minutes before. 'Apparently he can change his appearance. I told you he was an alien, didn't I?...'

'Sophie!'

The Doctor bounded over, and tried to do something that was a cross between a kiss on both cheeks, a hug and a handshake, the result of which was that Sophie nearly fell off her chair and Craig said that he was definitely the Doctor.

'Oh, good, that's reassuring.' The Doctor surfaced and turned to Alfie. 'Oh, it's Stormageddon!' Unlike his previous incarnation, he appeared somewhat wary of the youngster who now watched him with a slightly cheeky grin and mushy cornflakes all over his face, but still addressed him in baby-speak.

Alfie looked a little confused and garbled a bit in return.

'He's started speaking English now, a bit,' Craig said, almost apologetically.

'Oh, that's a shame,' the Doctor replied. He was warming somewhat to the infant despite this incarnation's reservations towards displays of affection, and was a little annoyed that he could no longer hold private, but satisfyingly honest, conversations with this child who reminded him just a bit of himself.

'It's his birthday,' Craig said, after an awkward pause.

'Oh, is it?' The Doctor smiled. 'Happy birthday, Stormageddon. I wish I had known, I could have brought you something. Wait –' And he dug his hand into his pocket, and pulled out, in quick succession, a Rubik's cube, a wrapped toffee, two Euro cents and a map of Neptune. 'You can have all these,' he decided, placing them on the table in front of Alfie, who looked bewildered.

'What are you doing here anyway?' asked Craig then.

'Just dropping by. Catching up with old friends, you know. It's good to see you again.'

'And you too, Doctor.' But Craig could not keep an odd note from creeping into his voice. It had not escaped his notice that despite the change of face, the Doctor's expression had changed little since the last time he was there. That overdone smile. Those nostalgic, sad eyes. He hadn't come to say hello. He'd come to say...

The Doctor looked sideways at him, and guessed that Craig had guessed. 'Shall we leave Sophie and Stormy to their breakfast?' he asked quietly; and, without asking questions, Craig followed him into the garden.

* * *

'I think I'm going to die,' he said, frankly, emotionlessly.

'You said that... last time,' Craig said shakily. 'I think. And – well, you didn't, did you? You're still here?'

'Only because of luck. And possibly my own brilliance, but mostly luck.' The Doctor's eyes flicked around him. 'I'm not sure this time. It doesn't feel...'

'You'll survive, I know you will. You always survive,' Craig said. 'Don't you? You're the Doctor. You always...'

'Yes...' The Doctor chuckled. 'And if I don't, I just regenerate, I suppose. But I was getting fond of this face. I mean, look at it. Isn't it the most handsome face in the universe? But no... you're right. The Doctor always survives. I don't always win, and I don't always do the right thing, but I always survive. Very self-centred of me.'

Craig chuckled too, but sadly.

'I face death every day,' the Doctor continued. 'That's how it is. But now... I'll just have to face it like I usually do, forget this fear... why am I afraid? No, I'll get out of this one. Me and death, face to face. And I'll win. I can do this.'

There was a long silence, but not an awkward one.

'I don't have to get you another hat, do I?' asked Craig suddenly, smiling bravely.

The Doctor laughed. 'Unless you've got another... actually, Stetsons probably don't suit me now. Stetsons are no longer cool.' His face fell a little as he said that, but he suddenly brightened when Craig disappeared into the house then emerged and handed him the first hat he had been able to find – a woollen one with ear warmers and a bobble on top.

Craig laughed when he saw what hat he had picked out, but the Doctor just smiled vaguely and stuffed it on his head. He looked highly odd in it but it somehow suited his childish nature. And it would be useful if he found himself somewhere cold.

'Bobble hats are cool,' the Doctor said. He managed a grin; and then, without warning, he pulled Craig to him in a tight embrace, so that his friends didn't have to see the tears that threatened to spill from his eyes. At last he regained his composure, and stood straight again.

'Well, Craig, it's good to see you, but I really should be going.'

'Are you sure?' Craig's face fell.

The Doctor closed his eyes for a moment. 'I'm sure.'

* * *

They went through the house, and the Doctor stopped briefly to kiss Sophie's cheek and ruffle Alfie's little tufts of hair; then Craig stood on the porch whilst the Doctor stepped out onto the drive.

'I'll see you around,' Craig called, raising his hand.

'I hope so...'

And the Doctor turned and walked away, into the blue box; and the box faded with a whooshing sound, scattering the golden leaves that strewed the road.

'I hope so too,' murmured Craig with a half-smile, before turning to go back inside.


End file.
